Chapter 598: Fluent Flamingo
598 Fluent Flamingo
Taehyun, the main actor, nodded in agreement.
At first, he thought that June was just a pretty face. He hadn't seen any of June's works, but he did unintentionally listen to his group's songs.
His face was also all over the billboards nowadays, with EVE having brand deals left and right, so it was impossible not to know him.
Honestly, a face like his was definitely needed in the movie...and even for a minor role, Taehyun felt like he would garner a lot of attention for its publicity.
Moreover, his acting skills weren't bad at all. He knew how to use his looks and his character traits to his advantage.
However, Lin Zhi raised his hand and made a really good point.
"With all due respect, being a good actor is not enough for Jian's character," Lin Zhi started off.
The people inside the room shifted their attention to him.
"For most of the movie, his role as a messenger is emphasized. Aside from the last few scenes, his character is centered around being a messenger. Therefore, he must be a fluent Chinese speaker like Yian," he said.
Director Bong nodded in agreement.
"I know that some people are still questioning why I chose Lin Zhi as Yian," Director Bong started. "But his proficiency in Chinese is also a big factor. He's the only Chinese native among the applicants, and he was the best one at that."
"Since we had set such a standard for Yian, don't you think we should also impose such standards on his brother?" Director Bong asked.
Risa clicked her tongue and clenched one of her fists under the table.
Why did she have to make the villains multilingual?
"Fair enough," Director Bong said.
"However," Hana quickly intercepted, surprising most of the people in the room.
She had been silent this entire time, but it appeared like she was determined to defend June's position until the end.
"June can learn those lines," she said. "That's what an actor does—we learn. Learning a language is yet another challenge for us."
"But there are a lot of actors out there who can speak Chinese proficiently already," Lin Zhi argued once more.
The people in the room who were part of the production team watched them argue back and forth.
They thought this was going to be an ordinary reading, but the events were much more interesting than they expected!
This was a show itself!
"Yet not a lot of those actors can act as well as June did," Hana said.
"And how do you know that?" Lin Zhi asked. "Maybe you're just giving him preferential treatment because the two of you have some sort of connection."
Soft gasps were heard in the room. Ann, the intern from Rising Stars who had now landed a job as a contractual worker in VIVI productions, shook her head in disbelief.
Even now, June was still caught up in drama wherever he went!
Hana and Lin Zhi kept going back and forth, making Director Jam sigh in disappointment.
He was about to interrupt their argument when someone suddenly spoke in a foreign language.
"I think it's time that you stop arguing with her," June said in his native tongue.
"You look at her with such lustful eyes, yet your pride is too high to acknowledge that she is right," he continued.
They turned to June in surprise, wondering if the person who spoke just now was truly him.
Lin Zhi looked at him with wide eyes. He knew that June could understand Chinese to some extent, but he never expected him to speak the language so fluently.
He had already done some research and knew that June had bad grades and didn't have an ounce of Chinese blood! So, it was nearly impossible!
How come he spoke as well as a native speaker just now?
Director Bong, too, couldn't hide his surprise. He thought he would be able to convince Director Jam to find another actor who spoke Chinese well, yet with how June spoke moments ago, he realized that he was just as good as any Chinese folk.
"You know how to speak Chinese?" Lin Zhi couldn't help but ask in his native language.
"Why? Are you surprised?" June asked.
"I can do a lot more things that you don't expect," he smirked. "Do you want me to speak to you in Japanese?"
"Idiot. If I didn't have a reputation to keep, then I would have said something more insulting," June deadpanned in Japanese this time.
Hana looked at June with wide eyes, seeing him in another light.
'How come I never knew about this?' she thought.
They had been friends for so long, yet the fact that June could fluently speak two other languages blew her mind.
He just looked a hundred times more attractive!
Meanwhile, the other women in the room also swooned.
Risa found her cheeks reddening just as June said those words.
His voice became deeper when he spoke in another language!
Hanlim looked at his wife and shook his head. He feared he just lost some of his wife's love to the handsome idol.
"Baka? I understood that. He just called Lin Zhi an idiot!"
"Well, it was rude for him to bring up June's language skills in a role that perfectly suited him. June could have learned the language, too! He probably doesn't want June in the production."
"Honestly, he should be thankful that June is Jian. If it weren't for that, then Lin Zhi might not have Yian's role right now. June could speak fluent Chinese too."
Lin Zhi heard the whispers around him, making him feel even more resentful. However, even then, he couldn't say anything about it since he knew it would only aggravate the situation.
"I guess we don't have any objections then," Director Jam said. "I also agree that June suits the role of Jian. However, I also agree that he should not have been here as he's not one of the main characters."
"But then again, everything's already finished. There's no use crying over spilled milk. I guess it's also good that we established that June is fluent in three languages."
"With that, let's call it a day. The filming will start next week, and we will notify you of your schedules via your managers."
"June," Director Jam said. "I'll have my lawyers send you the contract for the role."
"Congratulations," he smiled.
"You are officially part of Untouched Souls."